About Us
How We Got Started
The Gateway Flag Football League was founded in the fall of 2007 by Mike Kelly and Ed Ryan.
They wanted to get kids away from their video games and cell phones by getting them involved in an outdoor sport. Why not flag football?
The league quickly became “The Fun League” where kids who are new to football could get introduced to the game, and Pop Warner players can come and enjoy our wide-open style of play in a safe environment.
In our second year we switched to an NFL Youth format, where the kids could wear NFL jerseys during their games.
What We’re About
The Gateway Flag Football League is open to all kids age 5 – 14, boys and girls alike. Our goal is to help the kids develop as players, and as people.
Sportsmanship, character, and service to the community are the qualities that are emphasized to the children of our league.
It’s not just a “Gateway thing”, as half of our kids come from Lehigh, San Carlos Park, Tice, Estero, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, and Downtown Ft. Myers.
Each season our league grows bigger, in large part due to the willingness of our volunteer coaches to give their time and energy to the kids.
From our simple beginnings our league has evolved into an true organization of our community, and one that both kids and parents alike look forward to each and every season.
Where We’re Headed
A good number of our former players have gone on to play high school football, and our league is proud to have played a part in their progress.
With each season we have an increasing number of kids who look for more competitive challenges.
For those kids who are more serious about the game of football, we want to offer more opportunities to compete at higher levels.
As part of the NFL Youth program, our league can compete in the NFL national tournament where we plan on sending a team next year.
We have also been invited to several tournaments located throughout the country, which will also be entertained.
These extra activities will take place outside of our regular seasons, and participation is voluntary.
In the future, we’ll provide more competitive opportunities for our kids, but our main focus is to maintain our status as “The Fun League”.
